Umbrella spraybar afterburner arrangement



J. -c. wxsE UMBRELLA SPRAYBAR AFTERBURNER ARRANGEMENT June 28, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 3, 1956 NJWQJN LiL/E Tlfn? C/ame C l Wle M 5, 7%, M415 M1775 June 28, 1960 J. c. wlsE 2,942,414

UMBRELLA sPRAYBAR AFTERBURNER ARRANGEMENT.

Filed July s, 195e 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 damas 6T Wzlse @ff wffw UMBRELLA SPRAYBAR An'rrsmnnmisn-R .ARRNGEMENT Y JamesC. Wise, Euclid, Ohio, assgnor to Thompson Ramo Wooldridgetlnm corpnrationofhio File nu ,3919564 Se Ne 595.693' 1 Claim. (Cl. 60`-`35.6)1

11i-1111@fefrtnehinie .Steuern this; inventan deals with. an,umbrella type spraybar arrangement for an; afterburnerof. 'a jet ienfgirie whichV substantially improves.

afterburnei. efliciency by. varying the. fuel.` distribution: in

accordance. :with the Aamount of thrust laughientation` .1.1i 'the-frissen ivaitio, ai .Sperber .arrangement is provided intheafterburner. chamberv of` a Vjet engine,-

. 2 the; engine at any place between the minimum and maximum thrust augmentation positions.

A still` further object of. this invention resides` in the provision of a variable fuel distribution system in the afterburner. chamber of a jet engine, wherein weight reductionfofV the components is accomplished.

Other objects, featuresyand advantages of the invention. will be apparentV from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction withv the accompanying sheetsof drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts, in which,

' Onthe drawings:

`lFigure 1 is anaxial diagrammatic View, with some parts insection and other parts in elevation, of a jetwherein the ,spraybarsare so. constructed and. positionedu w as tot-.pivot on axes which areequispaced tangents about a circumference whose circle is normal tothe centerline:

olifthefjet; engine.. A remotely controlledeiair actuator effects the Positioning atv the Snraybrs between maxi @mand -thfusteusmentatien positions. Com

Ssquelily, titsinventiOn-lwatmls variations in. flame: size in the afterburner chamber.: WhileV any sortzofcontrol. lever may be provided for positioningthej spraybars, byl

Way of specifcexamplc, `Control. ofithespraybarscheme will.. emanate froml the main throttle lever.' VWhen 'the throttle is in maximum thrust augmentation position, thel spraybar'scherrie will be in its maximum thrust. augmenk tation position; and when the throttle,- is in minimumthrust augmentationposition, the spraybars will bein their minimum thrust augmentation position.

Accordingly, itis. an object' of this inventionto provide an improved afterburner spraybar arrangement capablej of controlling the variations flame size in the after.- burner of. a j et engine.

an afterburner assembly of a jet engine equipped with spraybars that may be variably positioned -to Variably. dis# tribute fuel in the afterburner chamber.

A further object of this invention resides in the: provision of. a spraybar arrangementV for the afterbu'rner chamber of a jet engine, whereinl the spraybars are mountedito;l pivot on'. axes which are equispaced tangents about ai circumference-whoseV circle is normal to the center lineA ginefwherein the spraybars maybe adjusted toV variably distribute fuel in the .afterburner chamber vmeans oi" a remote controlled' mechanism.

A Stilli another vobject of this invention is .in .the provisionV of spraybararrangerrient for the'afterhurnerchamber.

engine equipped withthe present invention;

Figure 2 is avv greatly enlarged fragmentary transverse sectional view ofthe jet enginev shown in Figure l showing the spray-bar airain/gementV of theV instant invention,` whereinsomeoil. the spraybarsyand component partsare` shown lin section for. purposes of clarity; Y Figure 3 is-anenlargedfragmentaryview in section ofi the modified spraybar larrangement according to the; invention.` Y A. f

.'AS. shownnthedrawingsf u Y Referring particularly to Egure 1, a typical jet engine-y 10 is] illustrated which inelur'les van intake nozzle 11 for; receiving air.V from 1, the atmosphere and .a .discharge nozzle. 12 for'expellinghigh temperaturev and high pressure gases generated byfthe engine which develop jet engine thrust. As the air passes through the engine, it is lcompressedV byfmultistageaxial airfflow compressors 13 which discharge A latter. of' which serve to` drive the compressors 13, and

' 45 Another. object ofV this invention is in the provision of` of a jet engine, wherein the spraybars .consetrutedj and positioned that their pivoted position may be inthi'ustaugmentation position.

flntely variable between. theminimumand maximurru till another object of this inventionzfis: to providea; spraybar arrangement for the afterhurnen'chamber'of ai jet engine, wherein the` spraybar's may be: varia'bly!v posi--y tipped by remote control. through the; throttleA lever of?- enter an: exhaust or-afterburner chamber 16.

,This afterburner chamber.- is dened by an outer shell or casing 17 of the jet engine and a tail cone 18 suitably suspendedewithin the shell 17 thereby giving the after-l burner chamber a toroidal shape. The expanding gasesY are then propulsion exhausted through the discharge nozzleY 12 to provide thrust for the Yjet engine'.

In order to. increase thethrust forces and overall eiliciency of. the jet engineyadditionalV fuel may be injected into the afterburner chamber 16 for additionally raising the pressure and temperature of the gases passing there@ through. In the instant case, a spraybar'arrangement is provided, wherein a plurality of generally circumferentiallyrspaced and radially extending spraybars 19 are pivotally mounted on the tail cone 18 in the area of the afterburner chamber 1'6. By varying the positions of the spraybars within the 'range ofthe spraybars shown in" solid 'line and those shown in dotted lines, varying degrees offuel distribution and thrust augmentation of the jet engine may be rendered;

yInorderl torprovidecontrol of the movement and ad' justedcposition of the spraybars 19, Ia Huid-operated vactuatorf20) which is pneumatic or air actuated in theinstant case,- issutablymount'ed within the tail cone 18.l This actuator includes a housing" or cylindrical casing 21 'me chanicallly connected 'to the spraybars` 19 through'a '22 pivotally connected atone'end to the casing 21 and pivotally. connected at the other end to an acuatinglever 23 which. is fixed ton a spray'sa'r .at its pivot' peint. The

actuator -alsovincluds a 'piston24lslidablyfreceived withf to "stationary brackets l26":a'ndv 27..' "Preyssiiiized' operatin ,air from a suitable -source' is received" and Ycontrolledb'y"iV a spraybar position ladjustment valve 20a which is connected to lines 20h and 26e leading to the ends of the cylindn'cal easing 2.1. Pressurized air is directed to the ends of the casing by control of the` valve from supply and Vreturn lines 20d to adjustably control the position ofthe piston and spraybars. Means may beY employed to detect the position ofthe spraybars or of the piston, or hydraulic tiuid may be employed and the valve 20a may be a metering valve so that the position of the piston 24 and ofthe spraybars may be accurately known for control by the operator. Obviously, the relatively movable parts of the air actuator may be arranged so that the piston 24 is stationarily mounted and the cylinder casing 21 is movably mounted and mechanically linked tothe spraybars 19. g

Energizationof the air actuator for adjusting the position of the spraybars V19 may be effected by any suitable the jet engine which is not shown for purposes of clarity and since it does not form any Vpart of thisinvention. Preferably, the remote control device will be operatively connected to the throttle lever of the jet engine to operate in unison therewith. The throttle renders ininitely variable combustion between maximum and minimum thrust conditions, and lwill be associated with the remote control of the air actuator so as to correspondingly render the spraybar system infinitely-variable between maximum and minimum thrust vaugment-ation positions. In other words,when the throttle is inl maximum thrust augmentation position, the spraybars will be in theirV maximum thrust augmentation position, ,while when the throttleis in minimum thrust augmentation position, the spraybars will be in their thrust augmentation position. v v

Now referring more specifically to the spraybar arrangement, as shown in Figure 2, it is seen that the actuating levers 23 are integrally connected with a transversely extending hollow spraybar housing or base 28 which is pivotally supported on one end by a bearing and hanger housing 28a and at the other end by a bearing and hanger housing 28h. These bearing housings are provided with mounting holes 28e Iand 28d respectively for suitable securement to brackets which are also suitably secured to the inner side of the tail cone skin surface 18a. However, for purposes of clarity, these brackets are not shown.

Extending from each hollow spraybar housing are two sets of spraybar arms 28e which support generally radially extending outer tubes 29 of the spraybars 19. As illustrated on one of the spraybars, a plurality of spaced discharge orifices 30 lare provided on opposite sides of the outer tube. Within the outer tube 29 and spaced from the inner wall thereof is-provided an inner air tube 31 having air orifices (not shown) therealong in substantial alignment with the discharge oriiiees 30 and dening with the outer tube 29 an annular mixing chamber 32. The spraybars 1 9 extend through generally longitudinally extending slots 33 formed in the tail cone skin surface 18a.

In the double spraybar arrangement of this embodiment, it will be noted that the spraybars pivot on the axes of the spraybar housings 28 which are equispaced.

tangents about a circumference whose circlen is normal to the center line of the jet engine. Hence, the spraybars are perfectly radial in one direction only. It will also be noted that the spraybars 19 are angularly offset from the vaxes of the spraybar housing 28. The olset angle, which is the angle betweena line perpendicular to the axis of a spraybar housing Z8 and the axis ofaspraybar. 19, can be reduced so; that the spraybars may be radial at any desired position, for example 50% thrust augmentation thereby reducing the negligible non-radial error. In Figure 2, the spraybars are shown as radial in the 100% thrust augmentation position, or when they traverse the greater area of the afterburner chamber.

4 Every other bearing support is one similar to that indicated by the numeral 28a between which is a bearing support similar to that indicated by the numeral 28b. The bearing support 23a is hollow and provided with slightly angularly related socket ends for receiving adjacent ends of the spraybar housings 28. Each bearing support 28a is also provided with an inlet 34 for introducing air therein and to the spraybars 19. At the j socket end ofthe bearing hangers are provided combinaagainst any substantial leakage of air.

`remote control device mounted on the control panel of 4 Extending into the hollow of each spraybar or housing 28 and generally continuous with the outer tube 29 is an lintegral casing section 36. The inner tube 31 extends to the very bottom of this casing with the open end in alignment with an opening 37 for intereommunieating the hollow of the spraybar housing with the interior of the air tube 31. Thus, air is supplied through the alternate bearing supports 28a for supplying on either side a set of spraybars 19 mounted on a spraybar housing 28. In other words, four spraybars are supplied with air from a single air inletA 34 and bearing support 28a.

Every bearing support *28b is provided with an inlet 37b for connection to a fuel source and for delivering fuel to the spraybars 19.k A supply line 37e from a variable `delivery pump 37d, connects to the inlet 37b. The bearing hangers 28h are likewise hollow with angularly related sockets Vat each end for receiving the adjacent ends of a pair of spraybar housings 28. A sleeve bearing and seal 38 is provided between the socket ends of the bearing hanger 28b and the spraybar housings 28, wherein slight leakage is allowed in order to keep the bearings running cooler. Tubular members 39 carry the fuel from the beaming support 28b to adjacent spraybars 19, wherein one end of the tubular members 39 is sealingly received in an aperture of the casing section 36 extending into the hollow of the spraybar housing 28. A similar tubular member interconnects the adjacent casing sections 36 so that both spraybars on each spraybar housing 28 may receive the fuel. The fuel, of course, is directed into the mixing chambers 32 between the inner and outer .tubes of the spraybars where it is mixed with the air from the inner air tube.

Referring now more particularly to the tubular members 39 which carry the fuel from the bearing hanger to the first adjacent spraybars, it is seen that these tubular members are intermediately supported by a diametrically reduced end section of the spraybar housing.

Since it is impor-tant that none of the fuel leaks past the sleeve bearings 38, an additional sealing arrangement is provided for sealing of the external surfaces of the ends of the tubular sections 39 which extend within the bearing supports 28b. This is accomplished gener-ally by means of a swlivel seal that is acted upon by the air pressure and the fuel pressure and includes a plurality of spring washers 41 which tend to straighten so that the While not shown, the air supply to the spraybars may'l be bled from compressor discharge, and due to its peculiar action with respect to the fuel in the spraybars, it may be termed as an atomizing air, and will hereinafter be referred to as such. As far as overall engine performance is concerned, the air bled from the compressor is not lostin contrast to air driven accessories from which the air is exhausted overboard. The slight loss in eficiency lost from by-passing a small quantity of atomizing air around the turbine of the engine is compensated by an improved afterburner efficiency resulting from improved fuel distribution and atomization, and ultimately an increase in overall engine perfomance is obtained.

The fuel is thus introduced into the spraybar mixing chambers 32, while the atomizing airk is introduced within the air tube 31 to be discharged through the air orifices and mix with the fuel and dispersed through the discharge orifices 30 of the outer tube 29 in a finely atomized spray of fuel into theafterburner chamber 16. Since the pressure in the mixing chamber 32 is always less than the atomizing air supply pressure, air ow through the spraybar 19 is then always available to assist in atomizing the fuel, and any possible back liow of fuel into the air supply line 34 is prevented. Thus, fuel atomization is achieved as a result of the relative velocity of air and fuel in the mixture owing to the discharge orifices 30.

In addition to the positioning and variable distribution of the air atomizing spraybars, computed or metered fuel and sutcient air must be supplied to the spraybars to obtain and control variation in flame size, wherein the fuel delivered to the spraybar system is so computed or metered suchv that the proper fuel air ratio to support good `combustion is maintained regardless of altitude, speed, or amount of thrust. augmentation desired. Further, the fuel pressure is computed or controlled in such a manner that the ratio of atomizing air pressure to the fuel pressure is of such magnitude as to render good air atomizing fuel to the after-burner combustion chamber regardless of altitude, speed or amount of thrust augmentation desired. Hence, computed or metered fuel is supplied to the spraybars in such a manner that maximum fuel is delivered when the spraybars are in the thrust augmentation position and minimum fuel is delivered when the spraybars are in the minimum thrust augmentation position, and the amount of computed or metered fuel is infinitely variable between the minimum and maximum thrust augmentation position as desired'.

The spraybars pivot in synchronism about the axes of the spraybar housings 28 in response to the air actuator and describe various conical or solid angles depending upon the degree of thrust augmentation desired. The maximum conical or solid angle would correspond to the maximum thrust augmentation position, wherein the spraybars would take the position as generally shown in solid lines in Figure 1, while the minimum conical or solid angle would render the minimum thrust augmentation, such as when the spraybars would take the position as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1. The spraybars are so constructed that their pivoted position may be infinitely variable between the and maximum thrust augmentation position.

Now referring to Figure 3, a modified form of the invention is illustrated, wherein each spraybar housing 28A has mounted thereon only a single spray bar 19 instead of the double spraybar arrangement as shown in Figure 2. Except for this diierence, the `other component parts of this embodiment are identical with that shown in Figure 2 and similar parts are similarly numbered. It is only tol be appreciated that in some instances, only a single spraybar on a single spraybar housing may be desired. The operation of the single spraybar arrangement is substantially identical with that of the double spraybar arrangement, and therefore need not be explained in detail.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of the novel concepts of the present invention, but it is understood that this application is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

In a jet engine having an afterburner chamber, a fuel air distribution system for augmenting the thrust forces of the engine which comprises a flow passage leading to afterburners in the afterburner chamber, a plurality of elongated hollow spraybars annularly arranged in said flow passage to extend adjustably radially and having side oriiices facing adjacent spraybars for forming a cone of pressure sprayed fuel, air mixing tubes extending axially into each of said hollow spraybars from the base with annular fuel chambers formed between said air tubes and said spraybars for dow of the fuel with air orifices in the air tubes substantially aligned with the spraybar orices, a plurality of hollow spraybar housings annularly disposed substantially concentric with the ow passage, said hollow spraybars and said air tubes supported on the housings with the hollow housings communicating with the interiorV of the air tubes, bearing housings between each of the spraybar housings pivotally supporting the ends of the spraybar housings with alternate bearing housings being hollow and communicating with the interior of said spraybar housings, a tail cone within the flow passage enclosing said housings and having longitudinally elongated slots through which the spraybars extend, means defining air inlet openings into said alternate bearing housings for delivering pressurized air to adjacent spraybar housings on each side of said alternate bearing housings and to air tubes supported on the spraybar housings, means dening fuel supply conduits leading into bearing housings between said alternate housings and dividing to connect to spraybars on adjacent spraybar housings, air seals between the spraybar housings and theI bearing housings to prevent leakage of air, actuating lever members connected to each of the spraybar housings, adjusting means connected to said lever members for adjustably positioning them through a range of positions so that the spraybars may be simultaneously pivotally adjusted to control the size of the fuel cone formed by the spray of fuel through the side orifices in the spraybars, and a controllable variable delivery fuel pump connected to deliver fuel to said fuel supply conduits.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,952,236 Clawson Mar. 27, 1934 2,579,043 Kallal Dec. 18, 1951 2,595,759 Buckland et al. May 6, 1952 2,672,727 -Brown Mar. 23, 1954 2,696,709 Oulianoff Dec. 14, 1954 2,771,740 Johnson Nov. 27, 1956 2,789,867 Bloom et al v.. Apr. 23, 1957 2,823,519 Spalding Feb. 18, 1958 2,861,424 Jurisich Nov. 25, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 588,847 Great Britain June 4, 1947 

